Since the Transformers live action movie hit the production phase, people all over the globe have been finding ways to capitalize on the phenomonom that is Tranformerdom. We've seen piles of junk made into Optimus Prime. We've seen complete paper replicas of Bumblebee. Now we get a look at how one Chinese junkyard owner is trying to cash in on the Transformers.

...one Chinese entrepreneur from the Zhejiang province had a plan to promote his particular pile of junk as something special. He'd build full scale Autobot sculptures.

It's hard to say who this BMW is supposed to be, but it definately favors the G1 era. Check out the original article on this here.

In an effort to quell the economic crunch being experienced by consumers, Transformers creator HASBRO, Inc. (HAS NYSE) has issued a statement regarding toy price ranges for the upcoming Holiday season.

In the statement, HASBRO projects most toylines to fall within the $20.00 USD pricing bracket. This pricing is a direct result of the current financial stress that families have been experiencing from the recent Stock Market woes and is meant to help parents in their time of need. The Company's CEO, Brian Goldner, also stated that two thirds of HASBRO products are already priced at $20.00 USD or below.

Walmart Stores has stated that its franchise has already cut prices in advance of the Holiday season with price reductions in most Deluxe line figures of the Transformers Toys and HASBRO's Play Doh Ice Cream Shop.

Toys R’ Us Japan has some more images of the upcoming Masterpiece Thundercracker release highlighting some of the features of the toy.

Thundercracker is a repaint of the Masterpiece Starscream mold, and is the fourth coloring of the mold that we have had. The mold has been painted as the original, realistic Starscream in darker, muted colors, the Anime colored Starscream, Skywarp, and now in Thundercracker deco.

You can still pre-order MP Thundercracker at many online stores including BigBadToyStore.

Check out the mirrored images below (when we get news control back), one of which shows the new facial expression for Thundercracker!

In what could be the first time a mission name was ever done after our beloved Transformers, Canadian officials reported dealing a huge blow to terrorist forces in the middle east during Op Timis Preem, a mission in which the objective was to stop terrorist forces from creating and using Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).

Canadian news outlet CTV.ca reports that Canadian military had a decisive victory over the weekend against Taliban terrorists. The operation was carried out in the Zhari district of Kandahar province last Thursday through Saturday Taken from the article:

Corbould said the operation's objective was to strike at the Taliban's command and control infrastructure and take away their ability to conduct operations against Afghan and coalition forces.

The mission's key goal was to reduce the Taliban's ability to build improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which they routinely plant along Highway Number One -- the main national highway that crosses Kandahar province.

The article then went on to explain the casualties of the operation and what the soldiers of the Canadian military face on a daily basis. What's never mentioned is the origin of the mission name. Apparently, the reporting journalist didn't make the connection between the mission and the heroic Leader of the Autobots.

With a tagline like Less than Meets the Eye: The 12 most ridiculous Transformers, you have to expect the author to be an anti-Transformers type who spends most of their time looking for things to hate the in the TF Universe.

This list, while very suprising, may make sense to some and not so much to others. Below you will see a list of Z's 12 Worst Transformers ever created, in no particular order.

Now I know what you guys are thinking: What?!! How could he say that about (fill in the blank)?!! But before you go crazy, read the authors reasons why each Transformer made the list. Some of the explanations weren't exactly suitable for Seibertron.com, so be warned about the language.

Agree or not, its sure to be an entertaining read for those diehard Transformers fans. You can view the complete article by clicking here.

HASBRO suffered a slight stint in stock prices recently when stock analysts placed the toy companies shares at full value. The average price of HASBRO stock fluctuated after that between $1.68, up or down. Today, a report by Moody's Investement Service (MIS) has affirmed the companies rating and switched its outlook on the Transformers creator to positive, stating the companies performance so far this year has beaten their expectations.

Citing CEO Brian Goldner's statement of venturing into new areas of entertainment, MIS believes HASBRO's ability to adapt to new trends in the industry is showing, such as with digital gaming.

But even with the affirmation, MIS has maintained its ratings table for HASBRO at Baa2. The companies global packaged good rating is at A3, which is two levels higher than the domestic. The difference in the two ratings are due to factors that "are particularly applicable to the toy industry to which Moody's ascribes significant weighting." But until HASBRO can show "clear evidence that core brands are experiencing sustained organic growth", a raise in the rating is unlikely.

Overall, HABRO shares are still holding strong, being at 45% plus their value from this time last year. Sales in the quarter were up 13 percent to $784.3 million from $691.4 million. Hasbro stock fell 36 cents, or 0.91 percent, to $39.20 in midday trading on Friday.

Seibertron.com member Proximus posted an article recently regarding toy gun replica laws for Canadian residents. According to a new appeal, the Masterpiece Megatron figure will be legal for purchase for our friends to the north.

Taken from the article:

A recent Canadian International Trade Tribunal ruling has paved the way for a contentious Transformers action toy to be imported into Canada.

At issue was an "MP-5 Destron Leader Megatron" plastic action figure, which the border agency classified as a prohibited device.

The toy can be transformed from a model robot into a purported replica of a Walther model P-38 semi-automatic pistol. Under Canadian customs tariffs, replica firearms cannot be brought into the country.

As most of you may know, we here at Seibertron.com have been following along with the building and progression of a Movie Bumblebee figure made mostly of paper. Paperkrafts.net has been doing an amazing job of not only showing us the step by step production of the model, but also providing downloadable schematics to create your own Bumblebee.

Well, after months of work, Bumblebee is finally complete.

As always, you can find the download for the schematics on their webpage here.

As a reminer, the folks at Paperkrafts.net have kindly provided this to the general public at no cost and do ask that this remain FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.

Yahoo Business reports that the well known $5.00 off $25.00 or more purchase for toys in the United States will no longer be available.

According to Kathee Tesija, Executive Vice President, merchandising, the initial release of the discount was sent to approximately 85,000 recipients who signed up for such notifications through the Target.com website. As with most discounts that become available via the web, it was released to the general public without Target Stores authorization.

But this isn't why the coupon will not be honored going foward. Apparently, Target claims that users of the discount have been altering it, removing the word "toys" from the coupon for general item purchases.

Ms. Tesija apologized for the inconvenience this may cause to Target customers. The article then went on to state that the original recipients of the coupon would be receiving a $5.00 gift card in place of the coupon, and Target stores will be placing notifications at registers to let customers know that the coupons are no longer valid. The coupon had an expiration date of 10/1/2008.

Here's an article suggested to me which puts down some information and common questions that new collectors often have. Hope that some of you out there find it to be a helpful primer to the hobby.

I get, a lot of questions posed to me both in real life and online in regards to toys and toy purchases. It’s an interesting side effect of having both been in the hobby for 7 or 8 years now, of being a vocal member of the community, and from experience collecting various exclusives and oddities. Most of the questions come to me via other collectors who have a degree of experience (or a lot of experience) in the hobby and are stuck on a particular purchase or bit of information. It was recently pointed out to me that many of the newer collectors, those who came in via the movie and now through Animated are kind of stranded without a solid source of information on some of the tricky money based elements of the hobby.

This article is for you newbie. It’s for the literal hordes of Seibertronians out there who read and don’t post and it’s for those out there who aren’t necessarily sure what question to even start by asking.

Money

So, let’s get down to the most important factor in your collection: Money. You may be someone who lives at home, is still in school, an old collector returned, or even someone who has stable employment. No matter who you are, your ability to collect toys is based on your ability to save, budget, and have available the money to make those purchases.

I won’t go into the whole discussion of what money is in relation to time; instead I will just make this as clear and simple as possible: Transformers do not get cheaper. They do not decrease in value. They are probably the most stable and profitable collectable around. This means, that Transformer toys are never cheaper than they are on the shelf of a TRU (Toys R Us), Wal-Mart, or Target. If you know what you want, plan to buy it in the store. Secondary market prices for our hobby are a dangerous place to tread. Even more dangerous is the fact that on the secondary market (read: eBay), you’re contending against jerks like me who will buy what we want regardless of the price.

On occasion you can find ‘End of the Year’ sales at the major retailers where often times you can score buy one get one deals or other such mark downs. Trust me; these are the exception to the rule. Keep one thing predominantly in your mind if you want to be a collector with a wallet that remains fat: Pay NOW, or PAY later. Money in your pocket is never worth as much as it is now and prices online only go up.

eBay

eBay has become a dastardly place in the past 2 or 3 years for Transformers collectors. Values on everything have skyrocketed. Add up the factors of shrinking stock of figures in the open market, increased interest by fans, and attention from sellers that there is profit to be made and you have a demon on your hands.

The only real trick to successful eBay shopping is to be patient. Watch and learn what things go for. If you really want something on eBay, watch it for a month, get an idea of prices and then decide how much you are willing to put out for the toy.

One other thing that should be said is to avoid feeding the sharks. Many out there will buy up entire initial waves of new toys and list them at inflated prices. The trick is that in buying up all the stock, they create a false sense of limited availability and you wind up buying something that you will find in Wal-Mart in 2 weeks. Be patient and be smart. Only once in several years during the Energon series was stock SO limited that you could not find things in the store (and that was largely Wal-Mart’s fault…).

On-line Retailers

Find one, make friends, and reap the rewards. Eventually, you are going to want something shiny and Japanese…your friendly neighborhood On-line Retailer to the rescue. They all have their points of favorability and points of contention. I can’t emphasize the importance of having a reliable retailer enough. If you are going to dive into the dangerous and expensive world of foreign toys, you’re going to need an ally. There are the “Big 3”, being BigBadToyStore, TFSource, and Hobby Link Japan.

BigBadToyStore (BBTS) is my usual choice, but that’s just my personal preference. You will hear complaints that their prices are high and to some degree this is a valid complaint because they ARE higher than other shops, especially in regards to recent vintage items. However, your money gets you great shipping, tracked packages, and most importantly a real, legitimate, and outstanding return policy. They understand that collectors expect a degree of perfection from their purchases and are willing to exchange unsatisfactory items. I have returned reissues and Masterpiece figures alike with no hassle. They do not charge for pre-orders until the item arrives. You BETTER learn to use this service well. While you may not be able to afford that Masterpiece figure now, getting one reserved and saving up for it is a very valuable service. BBTS also offers numerous ways to save on shipping.

TFSource is another popular choice. The downside with them is that all pre-orders are paid immediately. However, TF Source has cheaper prices to make up for it. They also are the undisputed kings of packaging and quick shipping. For items you want to buy now, I would rate them on par with BBTS.

Hobby Link Japan is a popular choice among other collectors that I have not had the pleasure of dealing with yet. I understand them to be quite reliable, reasonably priced, and that they have the best shipping options for those not within the US.

I’m biased towards BBTS and I suppose it shows, but I like options in my purchasing. The other listed retailers are all great and have been supporters of this very site. They all deserve your business.

Acting Like a Little Twit

One word: Don’t. Here’s the issue; being a little twit is infectious. People see you freak out and do so in return. One notable example of being a little twit is the Movie Concept Bumblebee Incident of 2007. Scores of new fans learned a lesson in patience and that they were in fact, not the first people ever to have to hunt for Transformers. You see, Bumblebee from the recent movie was a main character, something which begets numerous releases. Now when the toy was first released, fans flipped. It was literally ridiculous. We would have 10 or more threads in the toy forum about where to find 08BB. Though all the older board members and collectors said, “Chill, it’s all good. No worries.” The good advice fell on def ears. As such, impatient fans paid up to and more than $50 for a $10 toy. They fed the sharks and suffered humiliation as the toy was released as a heavy packed item in subsequent wave releases, was put into two Target exclusives, put into the Battle Scene box, and finally released as a premium toy. The point is, don’t be impatient about collecting. Sure, you can’t wait a year or more to find a toy, but occasionally you may find yourself wondering, “Am I in fact being an jerk over a toy?” If you were wondering this question at any time, the answer is ‘yes’.

Store Exclusives

Make your decisions on whether or not you want these guys early on. Store exclusives are no longer shelfwarmers. They command some of the ugliest mark-ups on the secondary market. Even if you think that a given toy is horrid, explore every aspect of said toy to figure out if you really can live without it. Chances are that if you don’t act soon, you will in fact be living without one. Example: CostCo release of Armada Prime and Overload. At only $50 at the time of release, this was a bargain…You got a Leader Class toy and a Voyager Class toy. You were actually saving $10.

Can you live without this?

Hope so, it’s in the $200 range now, if you can find one…

Real Exclusives…

Store exclusive toys are nice…They’re good at separating your collection from about 50% of the others out there. Someday though, you might be interested in something so…off, so…rare, that other collectors stop and say, “Hey buddy, what the hell have you got there?’

Oh, how the Japanese must laugh when they decide the ways that collectors will have to go to get these toys. Some examples include breaking up a set or team and distributing them individually across Japan in various store. How about making you buy some crazy book, clipping some Japanese coupons, and mail ordering a green ambulance? Are you a fan of coloring contests? Well, unless you live in Japan and are ready to jump through these hoops, your gaijin option is to pay far, far too much to obtain these toys.

Only you, as a collector with your own interests and desires can decide if you are willing to pay anywhere from 5-10 times what the retail value of a standard toy is to obtain these. This is dangerous territory and you need to determine early on if you are willing to tread into it. Let’s see where you’re at.

How does something like this strike your fancy?
Only $80-120 for the figure…

($40 for the black sword he’s holding…)

BotCon

If you joined us as collectors in the past 2 years you may have the impression that BotCon is an evil horde of scalping elitists. BotCon is a community event you should make every attempt to attend. It is probably the most expensive thing discussed yet. Saving up is a necessity. The entry fee alone to get in and get a box set is about $300. Hotel costs, travel, food, and everything else are on top of that. Plus there is always another $250 of convention toys to buy as well as the hypnotizing dealer room.

It ain’t for everybody…

Understand though, that the BotCon set of toys is a glorified set of repaints. Glorious both in terms of look and price. BotCon sets are never requirements for collections. Even the much lauded 2007 set with its Classics Thundercracker was not necessary to finish the collection of Classics (Technically, Thundercracker, Thrust, and Dirge were all dead by the end of the related fiction and are not really a continuing aspect of Classics). Most importantly what you need to know about BotCon is that the toys can be purchased without going to the convention. You can have them shipped to your door and when you do, go ahead and throw all those ‘elitist’ garbage comments out at the same time.

Completionists

So, you want to buy ALL of a line? Are you ready for what this actually means to your life and wallet? Consider this. To purchase the entire Armada line at retail would have cost you about $1,200 before your local tax is put on. Energon would have cost you about $1,700. Cybertron falls in around a tidy $1,500. I know. I keep track of these things. The problem is that these approximations do not account for the various exclusives and other things to track down.

Being a completionist means different things to different people. You will likely not ever actually complete a line. For example, Armada can only be truly finished by about 5-10 people in the world. Shining Unicron makes that feat an virtual impossibility. Not only are there 10 or less of him in existence, but he costs about $4,000-6,000 a pop. The good news is that you shouldn’t have to feel like you need to buy everything. Carefully consider what you want out of a line of toys. You may only want the on-screen cast. You may only want the Autobots. You might want all the US releases. The point is to have a plan and not shoot in the dark. That’s a quick hard way to part with your money and usually only leaves collectors with a hollow unaccomplished feeling.

Wo-mans folk

Question: Can I have a girlfriend AND be a Transformers collector?

Nope! Haha! You’re screwed.

You can however, be a cool person who collects toys and has a girlfriend (boyfriend, partner, what the hell ever…). The question should be, ‘Can I choose between finding someone who likes me for who I am and finding someone who will tolerate the things I do.” Fellow collectors will tell you all the time that toy collecting is normal and nothing to be ashamed of. This is only part right. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but normal?..not so much. The thing is, that doesn’t matter. It’s not the point. Don’t justify who you are and what you like to your friends, family, or relations.

After all, how can a prospective girlfriend or boyfriend be accepting of your hobby if even you have to justify it?

Be cool. If collecting toys is an aspect of your hobbies and personality there is someone out there who is compatible. Hiding who and what you are only makes it suspect. There are plenty of people out there, both male and female who think like you do. Relax and enjoy life by not letting either your hobbies overwhelm your relationships or by letting others make decisions about the things you love to do.

Home is Where the Homepage is…

One thing I discovered in the past few years was the validity of the online community. Oftentimes we trivialize online relationships, drama, and interaction to make it seem ‘less real’. Here is a bit of naught said truth that more people should realize: “Friends and relationships you make online in today’s world are often times as real and valid as those in the everyday (irl) world.” Many of the people you talk to online are people you interact with more than your co-workers etc. The benefits of getting to know people are significant. Often times they will be willing to help you track down hard to find figures, clue you into local releases, and otherwise just provide for good communication. I have been repeatedly struck by the good will and friendly nature of those collectors I meet in the local community and at BotCon.

Don’t waste this valuable community resource we have here. Post counts, mod-ship, and internet celebrity be damned. Interact, introduce yourselves, and get to know the community at hand. There is ample opportunity to enjoy your hobby that much more by making it something that you can share with likeminded collectors and friends.

That about sums it all up. Throw out questions, say hello for the first time, or just jump in to the boards. Community resources extend beyond the news and pictures. It’s inevitably the discussion, debate, and occasional flames that bring everyone together and make this hobby something to talk about.

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